Taylor is a Slave
by PriestessAmy
Summary: In her junior year of high school, Taylor Christensen finally achieved her goal of attending Blackwell Academy. She was prepared for an amazing experience. But nothing could have prepared her for the plans Victoria Chase devised for her.
1. Good Thing

Taylor took a drag on her cigarette and looked around the backyard at all the students. Somehow, word got to her that there was a Vortex Club party and she figured it could be worth checking out. It had been made abundantly clear from her first moment at Blackwell that getting into the club was the fast track to being Somebody. A junior year transfer who didn't know a damn soul here. Taylor didn't have money or nice clothes or anything, but she liked to think that she at least knew how to fake it.

But so far all her attempts had been a total disaster. No one really wanted to talk to her. If she danced, she danced alone. The beer was shit and the weed might as well have been oregano. Maybe this club wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.

She was suddenly aware of someone standing next to her, joining her in people-watching. She turned and saw, with some surprise, that Victoria girl. She was pretty instantly recognizable with her cardigan and pearls and pixie cut. "You're new right?"

It took Taylor a few seconds to process the fact that she was actually talking to her and not just to herself or something. "Um... yeah... Taylor."

Victoria nodded and retrieved a cigarette of her own from her purse, holding it up. "You mind giving a girl a light?"

"Not at all." She was reaching for her lighter when Victoria suddenly leaned forward and used the tip of her own cigarette to light it instead. She had no clue what to say, so she just stood there, smoking nervously, searching for anything halfway intelligible she could utter.

Victoria ended up being the one to break the silence. "You looking to join or something? Or do you just like half-assed parties a whole lot?" She tapped out a few ashes into the dirt and sighed, eyes narrowing. "Less a celebration and more a goddamn wake. Mourning the start of another school year..."

"Uh, well, I'd certainly like to join up. But I don't really meet much of the... criteria?" She shrugged and took another draw, still trying to stare more at the other people instead of the pretty girl right next to her. It was a difficult battle. "My family isn't really famous or rich or whatever. Nobody here really seems interested in meeting me. I dunno..."

A slender hand was suddenly gripping her chin, carefully but firmly, and Taylor was forced to look back in Victoria's direction. In her surprise, the last remnants of her cigarette fell to the ground, but the other girl didn't move. She just kept inspecting her intently. An eternity seemed to pass in silence, the sound from the party fading far into the background. "You'll do."

It sounded so definite, so final. "...what...?"

And just like that, the hand was withdrawn and Victoria was back to smoking. Taylor would be lying if she said she didn't miss it just a little. "I can grandfather you in. Grandmother. Whatever. If you decide you wanna join, I can help you."

"Why would you do that?" Taylor realized too late that this sounded a bit confrontational and made another attempt. "I mean, is there... I don't know... anything I can do to make it up to you?"

She studied her again, eyes piercing in the most terrifying way. "I always wanted a minion."

That statement should have been a massive red flag. It should have told Taylor everything she needed to know about what kind of person she was dealing with. This wasn't a friendship, this was a tit-for-tat agreement. Victoria would get her into the Vortex Club, as long as she became her lackey. It wasn't a fair trade and it wasn't a smart idea. She should have said no. She should have told Victoria to fuck off.

"...okay."

* * *

That incredibly bizarre encounter was more or less the end of things. Victoria flicked away her cigarette, said a curt goodnight, and disappeared back into the party. Taylor felt... strange, and ended up returning to Blackwell in a hurry to return to the boredom and normalcy.

The next day was a Sunday and Taylor had every intention of sleeping in as long as she could get away with. That was completely destroyed by a knock at her door well before noon. Grumbling, she stuck her head out from under her covers. "Whaaaat?"

"It's Victoria. Are you decent?"

Taylor shot up to a seated position, not sure if she was ready for the flawless Vortex girl to see her looking so unglamorous. But... was it worse than making her wait? Crap... She could feel the anxiety starting to flare up and she knew that if she didn't make a command decision she would end up having a meltdown. "Um, yeah, come on in."

Sure enough, Victoria opened the door and stepped through, kicking it closed behind her. To Taylor's surprise, she was carrying two cups of coffee and offered one to her without batting an eye. If she was judging her for looking like a slob, she didn't show it. "Somehow I figured you might be in bed still. You'll need the caffeine. Don't get used to this. If anything, you'll be the one bringing me coffee. Or whatever."

"Oh. O-Okay." Taylor took the coffee and drank it slowly. Cream and sugar, just the right amount. She had so many questions, and really no clue where to begin. She figured it would be best to tackle the most obvious first. "So... So you need a... minion?"

"Mmm, can't say I necessarily need one. But I'd like one." Victoria made herself comfortable on the futon across the room, sitting gracefully. "I intend on running the club next year, and that means I need to finish the climb I began my freshman year."

"So you need... what... Like an assistant? Like a secretary?"

For a moment, Victoria just sipped her coffee in deafening silence, studying her with those damned eyes of hers. "I said minion. I meant minion. It's a good word. You're not just going to be following me around with a clipboard and a notebook jotting things down. You're going to learn to dress like me, how to apply some decent make-up for once in your life. You're going to need to understand every person in this school, and in the club, who could be trouble for me, so that we can determine how to undermine them. By this time next year, I'll be running this school. And you've got access at the ground floor. So would you call yourself a secretary?"

"...n-no, I guess not..." Taylor took another long sip. She knew if she spent too long thinking about all of this, she would undoubtedly have one of her awful panic attacks and it would freak Victoria out. Perhaps even more importantly, as long as she just nodded her head and agreed to follow along, her anxiety seemed to be keeping at bay. How could it be that this waif marching into her room and giving her commands would actually make Taylor feel more relaxed? "I take it from your sudden arrival we'll be starting sooner rather than later?"

"Well, I'm glad to see you know how to connect the dots. Yes. First things first, I'd like to take a look inside your closet. I need to know what we're working with here."

It wasn't phrased as a question. But then again, Taylor got the impression that if she were to say something to the effect of 'no, get the fuck out of my room' then Victoria would probably leave her alone. But she didn't do that. She motioned with her free hand toward the door. "Be my guest."

She wasn't sure why she acquiesced so easily. No doubt, part of it was just the curiosity. She wanted to know just how far Victoria could push it. And there was that strange sensation, the way her anxiety seemed to fall away the more she was around. She felt more than that, but nothing she was willing to admit to herself just yet. So she just sat there, drinking her coffee, and watching with growing fascination as her visitor started exploring her clothes. Victoria said little, only making small noises now and then, though Taylor had no clue how to decode what noises were good and what noises were bad.

"You're actually not doing too bad here, Taylor. You make good use of lesser brands to get the same effect as pricier stuff. Totally indistinguishable to the untrained eye. I see I've chosen well. Still, going to have to take you shopping at some point."

Taylor put aside her coffee cup and stood up from her bed with a little frown, crossing her arms. "Those clothes aren't just knock-offs because I'm a miser. I told you, my family isn't exactly the wealthiest."

"Did I say I was going to make you buy anything? I'm _taking_ you shopping. That means I'm buying them _for_ you." She studied her again, making absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that her eyes were tracing Taylor's entire body. "Which reminds me, I'm going to need you to take off your pajamas for a moment."

"What?" The response squeaked out Taylor's throat with embarrassing volume. "Right now? This exact moment?"

"Now or later. If I'm going to help dress and style you, I need to see what we've got to work with, okay? Body shape, curves, fat, all of these things and more need to be considered when putting together a perfect look. Besides..." For a moment, Victoria's facade was replaced with a much warmer one, all smiles and warmth. "It's just us girls. You've been in a locker room before, right? Same thing."

 _Yeah, except people in a locker room explicitly avoid staring at each other._ With hands shaking slightly, Taylor shed her tank top and pajama pants and stood there awkwardly in the middle of her dorm room. Normally she was relatively familiar with her body. She knew what her limbs were and how they worked and what standing was supposed to feel like. Now all of that assurance was gone.

For a second, anyway. As Victoria stepped in close and started to really examine her, everything turned... automatic. Taylor's shoulders pushed back a little, her head held a little higher. This feeling only grew as Victoria reached up and cupped her chin just as she had done the night before. Taylor could have sworn she was examining each individual pore in detail. The hand left her chin and moved back to tease out her hair a few times. Her eyes closed slowly and she tried to not think too hard about how nice that was. From her hair, Victoria traced down to her shoulder and along her arm, directing her to lift it as she examined her muscles. She let it go and her arm dropped again, then she knelt down and performed a similar check on her legs. She hadn't been kidding, this was thorough.

When she stood up, Taylor assumed she was done. But that wasn't the case, just yet. Victoria stood in front of her, looking directly at her chest. "Hmm, I think I'd like to remove your bra as well. Is that alright?" Taylor was certain she hadn't heard her correctly. Surely that must have been her imagination firing off. She said nothing, and Victoria's brow furrowed. "Taylor. I asked you a question. Be honest. Would you be alright with me taking off your bra? I'd like to get a sense of your natural chest size without the padding in the way." Her voice was softer than before, but still just as commanding. Taylor nodded, but apparently that wasn't good enough. "You need to be able to say it out loud. Sometimes you might have to do embarrassing things for me. Is that okay?"

She attempted to catch her breath, but it was more shuddering than she intended. Taylor understood full well what was happening to her now, and no amount of sheer willpower was going to help her ignore it. In less than a collective hour, Victoria had come into her life, come into her room, and now had her half-naked. It was all pretty obvious when you weren't being intentionally dense. "Y-Yes, Victoria. It's alright if you want to take off my bra. I'll be fine."

Arms reached around her and deft hands unhooked the garment. Before she knew it, her chest was bare. As if this weren't already embarrassing enough, Victoria decided to gauge the size of her chest directly, placing a hand against each breast. She didn't really do anything beyond that though, which was equal parts confusing and frustrating. Part of her wished Victoria would just leave her alone. Part of her wished Victoria would just go for it. But all of this baffling in between stuff was hard to sort through.

"Okay, I think I got what I needed." The hands were suddenly gone and all Taylor could think was that she had been wrong. She definitely wanted Victoria to come back and touch her again. Even if it was just playing with her hair. Something. Anything. She let out a shuddering gasp she didn't realize she'd been holding in. "Get dressed and we can head out."

"Y-Yes, Victoria..." Taylor began putting her bra back on and went to grab some clothes to wear for the day. It was going to be a long year. A long, confusing, exhausting year.


	2. Slow Down

Things had been going so well. Strange, but well.

Victoria really did know her stuff when it came to clothes. With a look at Taylor's closet (and her body) she had a pretty close idea of what sizes she needed to grab to put together a good look for her. She knew what style of jeans would best accentuate her hips. She knew which sweaters would make her look amazing without completely highlighting just her tits. She had a lot of really shameless fun every time she emerged from her changing room to model some new piece of clothing. It was all really great.

And then.

The next thing Victoria passed to her was a dress – a classic, little black dress. It was only when Taylor tried it on that she found it was smaller and tighter than she'd been expecting. It only barely covered anything, and even looking at herself in the mirror was an exercise in heavy embarrassment. For a moment or two, all she could really do was just stand there in the little changing room, unsure what to do with herself.

"Taylor darling, a dress can't be that hard to put on. I seem to recall it's a rather simple process. Is it the zipper that's giving you problems?"

Her chest felt tight. Her lungs must have shrunk in the night because breathing felt impossible. Words were hard to figure out and her mouth refused to speak. Everything was closing in. _Not now. Your timing couldn't be worse. You're in public. Jesus christ, do you want to screw up everything with this amazing girl? What is your malfunction?_ Only with sheer force of will did she manage a single word. "C-C-Can't..." as she sunk down onto the seat against the wall.

There was a long silence on the other side of the door. Taylor was certain that this was the part where Victoria finally decided she wasn't worth it and left her right there at the mall without a ride. "Ugh, I'm coming in then." Victoria slipped inside, shutting and bolting the door behind them and glancing at her. Her first reaction was in seeing how the dress looked on her, and for a moment Victoria actually blushed. But far more surprising was the way her face fell when she saw how troubled Taylor looked, sitting there on the bench, terrified and miserable.

She sat down next to her, taking her hand with surprising tenderness. "Taylor. Take a breath." She used this bizarre combination voice that was both gentle and insistent, and she did as she was told. "Again." Taylor took another breath, taking in air and letting it out as Victoria directed her with her free hand. They continued this for a little while until Taylor felt like she could function normally again. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I just... it was a tiny panic attack... They happen sometimes..." Taylor glanced down at their hands and sighed sadly. "I-I'm sorry, Victoria. If you wanna pick someone with fewer problems, I'll understand."

The other girl studied her for a while, curious and determined. "Earlier, you were nervous but also brave in your own way. What's the difference?"

It seemed so obvious to Taylor, she wasn't sure why Victoria felt the need to ask her that. She pulled her hand away and stood up, putting just a tiny bit of distance between them – as much as she could in the tiny room. "Well... I mean, at that point it was just us. Honestly, my anxiety was pretty far away at the time. But we're in public here. I'm not confident enough to wear a dress like this around other people. I can't do it. I won't. And... And if that means you have to choose some other poor girl to be your minion, then fine, whatever..."

Not yet satisfied, Victoria stood and followed after her. She moved in close and tugged at the hemline of the dress a few times as if checking her work. "Hmm... Answer me one more thing... Say I bought this dress anyway, with the express understanding that you would only ever have to wear it when we're alone. Would you?"

"I would." The answer slipped out so easily and there was no time to take it back.

"Okay then."

* * *

In spite of all evidence to the contrary, things slowed down rather significantly after that. Taylor spent that afternoon putting away all her new clothes. She did her homework. She got ready for the Monday. She lay there in her bed contemplating the sheer insanity of her weekend. The usual.

There had been more than a few moments of very confusing sexuality during that day, but in the end, nothing actually happened. It didn't feel that way. In Taylor's head, it felt as though something extremely intimate had happened. And she had no real way of knowing what was going through Victoria's mind. So she was just left alone with her theories and thoughts and uncertainties and fears.

Taylor didn't have any other option, as far as she was concerned. She moved almost unconsciously toward the bathroom – mechanical, like a zombie. Wet the tooth brush. Scrub until it hurts. Spit out the blood. Watch it spiral down the drain. Rinse, literally. Repeat. She knew it would be hellish for the next few days. She knew eating and drinking would be a nightmare. But in the moment, the selfish shitty moment, she needed this.

Suddenly, a hand on her arm stopped her. She looked over, shocked to see Victoria standing there without fine clothes or make-up. She was watching her intently. "It's okay. Rinse our your mouth. Then I'd like to show you something. Please?"

Please. That was a word that, up until now, Victoria didn't exactly use. It meant... something in the moment. Taylor rinsed out her mouth and followed the girl to her room. Victoria went over to her closet to retrieve something, then came back with a hair tie, the plain kind you could get, like, ten for a dollar. She slid it over Taylor's wrist and then pulled it back, snapping it lightly against her skin. Taylor hissed, sucking in some air through her teeth. "I don't understand..."

"For the anxiety and panic attacks. Quick pain, no marks or blood. People do it all the time for all kinds of compulsions. Better than scrubbing your gums off. A more subtle way of grounding yourself."

Taylor gave the hair tie another experimental snap herself and found that it actually did kind of help. "Was this what you wanted to show me?"

"No..." Victoria went back to her closet, digging around for a while before retrieving a small shoe box. "On the shelf over there is where I keep all my 'acceptable' movies. A very, very select number of people are ever allowed to know that these are actually my favorites." Taylor removed the cover and looked at the titles inside. She recognized only one or two names. Several others were in Japanese. "I know this is, like, as far as you can get from even. But I accidentally pushed you into showing me something today you weren't ready to let me see. So I wanted to return the favor."

Maybe for some this would have been a meaningless gesture. But Taylor understood. Victoria was clearly obsessed with image, and she had a strong desire to rise to the top. It was okay for her to be interested in photography because that was an art form. But to be a secret nerd was, if she had to guess, the kind of thing that could get you ejected from the Vortex Club. "That's alright. I appreciate it." She passed it back to her with a small smile.

Victoria took it and, rather than putting the lid back in place, looked down at the titles inside. "Would you care to watch something with me? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

Taylor knew most of her work was finished, and she had a desperate need to end this day on a mundane note. She laughed bashfully and played with her hair for a moment, shifting her footing. "I'd like that..."

* * *

So that was how Taylor had gone from being utterly charmed by Victoria, to being kind of freaked out by Victoria, and had finally settled on simply being intrigued by Victoria. They were cuddled up together on the girl's bed, Taylor's back against her chest, arms wrapped lightly around her. The chosen media was, to quote, a 'softball'. Something called Avatar: The Last Airbender. Taylor made the mistake of mentioning that the name sounded familiar. "Oh, that's right, I saw the movie."

Victoria started to get legitimately mad, but for the first time since they'd met, it was actually kind of normal and adorable to see. Not terrifying at all. Real emotion. "No no no! That movie does not exist! It never happened. I have wiped it completely from my memory. There was no movie, just three wonderful seasons." Victoria huffed and inadvertently squeezed her a little tighter with a little pout. "You'll understand soon. I promise."

They watched a few episodes, and Taylor had to admit that she was impressed. Sure, it was still mostly kid stuff, but not without moments of pretty legitimate emotion and good writing. Taylor wasn't certain she could ever get into 'real' anime, but this was pretty fun.

In the lull between episodes, Victoria suddenly paused the show and sighed softly, her breath inadvertently lingering on her ear for a moment, causing her to shiver. "I... need to apologize."

Pushing herself to a more upright position, Taylor looked back at Victoria, laughing softly. "You kinda already did."

"No. Well, I mean, yes. But I wanted to apologize for... just kind of everything? I... don't need a minion. I don't even necessarily want one. I saw you at the party and thought you were cute and felt like trying something new. But I got ahead of myself and didn't prepare for you to react to things like a normal person would. Y'know?"

Taylor sighed with a smile, reaching out slowly to brush her hand through Victoria's hair, looking her over for a moment or two. "You say that like I wasn't enjoying myself for a while there. I mean, yeah, the thought of wearing something embarrassing in public freaked me out. But seriously, having you walk into my room like you owned the place was... fascinating."

She cocked an eyebrow, starting to smile again. "Be honest. Was it owning the room? Or was it owning you?"

Immediately, Taylor's face felt like it was on fire and she buried it against Victoria's neck. "God, was I that obvious?"

"A little" she cooed, taking Taylor's chin and gently guiding her to sit back up. Taylor mentally prepared herself for a kiss, or really anything at all that might happen next. But to her eternal dismay, Victoria just let go of her and reached for the remote, setting the show to play again.

Unable to stop herself, Taylor gave a tiny, pathetic whimper as she settled back in against her companion to resume watching. This day had done so many things to her heart and mind, but here and now, the lack of resolution felt like the most painful. Which was probably why it came as such a shock when, fifteen minutes later and without any warning, she felt Victoria's hand gently make its way oh-so-slowly under the hem of her shirt. Fingertips and manicured nails started to draw patient circles against her skin. "Victoriaaa~" she whined before she could stop herself.

"Yes darling~?" Jesus, she sounded so innocent. Victoria must have had years of practice at that voice.

She wriggled with another whimper. "You're evil..."

"I know. You love it."

Taylor turned her head so she could look back and see that wicked grin. "...I do..." Before the 'argument' could go any further, Victoria stole a kiss from her lips. As she did so, she gently dragged her nails along her hip, eliciting a low moan. When the kiss broke, Taylor pulled back, panting softly. "Can I ask, like, the obvious question?"

Victoria resumed stroking her skin, which didn't make conscious thought any easier. "Of course."

"You said you wanted to try 'something new'. And I get the impression you don't mean finding yourself a minion you can just boss around. So... what is it? Really? What are you looking for?"

She had been looking into her eyes, and saw the sudden spark of... many different things at once. Desire and fear and embarrassment. More, probably. "I-It's stupid... I don't want to scare you off. This is nice. There's no point in ruining it..."

Taylor turned so she didn't have to crane her neck so awkwardly, then reached out to play with Victoria's delightful pixie cut some more. "Hey, I'm here, right? Just hit me with it, girl. You had your hands on my tits this morning. I want to know."

There was a long pause, and for a moment Taylor was worried that she might hide inside herself again. But finally Victoria sighed and looked back into her eyes with a sheepish smile. "...a slave." That word sent a tremor through her whole body, and her brain overloaded for a moment or two. "I know I haven't exactly been very subtle about it. But lately I've become totally fascinated by the possibility of having someone under my control. I-I mean, not necessarily against their will. Of course. But I get if that freaks you out or-"

"Victoria." She cut her off gently, laughing just a little at her growing embarrassment. "It's okay. Like I said, I'm here. I get it. I feel you. I'm not opposed to the idea. As long as I can avoid another panic attack... I-I think that could be... nice."

Finally that confident smile seemed to be returning, making Taylor excited for where this could possibly go. It was entirely new territory for her. She only knew that it sounded thrilling. Victoria did that thing where she cupped her chin, and she braced herself. "I'm glad. Now. Go to bed." Wait, what? Taylor's face dropped and she stared at Victoria in disbelief, who just stared right back. "I mean it. Tomorrow's a school day, and my girl had better maintain a decent GPA."

"Bu-But we...?"

"We've had fun. And we will resume this when I feel like it. In the meantime, behave yourself and think more about what it is you'd like from me. And I'll do the same. Understood?" Her chin was still firmly held in place by those slender fingers. She was obviously waiting for a proper response.

"Understood."

"Good girl..." Victoria was practically purring as she leaned in to nip at Taylor's earlobe, stopping to whisper softly. "You did well today. Never be afraid to tell me when I step over the line. There's no point if you're not enjoying it too." Just as suddenly the moment was over and Taylor received a gentle pat on the ass. "Bed. Go. I'll treat you to coffee tomorrow before class."

She wanted it to continue. But she needed Victoria to stop things the way she did. Suddenly slamming on the brakes ensured that she was going to be stuck in her hazy headspace for a while yet. "Um... good night Victoria."

"Nighty night, dear Taylor. Sweet dreams!"

Back in her own dorm, Taylor flopped unceremoniously face-down on her bed with a long, exasperated groan. How the hell was she supposed to sleep with her mind and body humming constantly like this? Granted there was at least one obvious answer that, but it felt... wrong? Victoria sent her away when she did for a reason. Letting her hand follow its destined path between her legs would be cheating. Taylor knew, if she was going to do this, she wanted to really give it her all. She buried her face in her pillow and breathed in deep, legitimately grateful that the one positive thing she could say was that her anxiety was totally gone. Better to have it replaced by something new and interesting.


	3. The Set Up (You Need This)

**[A/N: Um, I lied, I don't know how slow burn stories work either. So this is a slow burn kink story where I'm not confident in either genre. Errr... enjoy?]**

Sleep did not happen easily that night.

She did her best to add some extra make-up to hide the bags under her eyes, dressing in some of the new clothes Victoria had bought for her. She had to admit, the girl knew what she was talking about. Shorts and a long-sleeved shirt made a good look for Taylor. She checked herself out in the mirror for a while when a knock at the door brought her out of her private moment. Not surprisingly, Victoria was on the other side, wearing large sunglasses and carrying two cups of coffee. Taylor quietly wondered if this was going to become some kind of pattern, in spite of the fact that she had been told in no uncertain terms that she was the one who was supposed to be fetching the caffeine. She stood aside and Victoria stepped in, passing her one of the coffee cups. "Taylor, there's... something we need to discuss..."

Hoo boy, starting off the day on a high note. The two of them moved over to her futon to take a seat and get a few more minutes of relaxation before they had to get to their first classes. Taylor curled her legs up under her and cradled her cup, soaking in the warmth, looking at Victoria with an eyebrow raised. "Um, so what's on your mind?"

Victoria flopped down across from her with a dramatic sigh. "I'm not... out... Like there's only one other person at this school who really knows, and even then I've never explicitly told him where I sit on the... the spectrum or whatever..."

"Ohhh~" Taylor still had a few questions, but the main thing that struck her was how suddenly the pieces started to fall into place. "That explains the minion thing. It's a good cover."

Victoria actually started to laugh a little, perhaps grateful that her announcement of secrecy wasn't a problem. "I mean, I'm not sure it was even that conscious of a decision, but you're not wrong..."

"Can I be honest?" Taylor sat up a bit, taking a long sip from her coffee as though it might somehow give her some courage. "I'm kinda loving it. I'm still on board for this cover story if you want."

"Seriously?" The girl reached for her phone and checked the time, cursing under her breath. "We'll have to have a talk about this sudden confidence burst of yours when we're done with classes. For now, we gotta get going. Sorry in advance if I say something extra shitty. Just playing the part."

* * *

Despite her promise to play the part of a fresh-faced newbie who would follow Victoria around all day like a lackey, the two of them didn't have a ton of classes together that day. Her first period of the day was acting, which Victoria would never get caught dead participating in. They were also in different science classes. But, as it turned out, they had all afternoon together, with photography and literature.

So she spent the first half of her day getting to know a few other students and acting more or less like a normal human being. That Rachel girl seemed pretty cool, and there was some girl named Brooke in her science class that was being so snarky and sarcastic the whole time and Taylor couldn't help but smirk.

But as it turned out, hanging out with Victoria in her queen bee mode was a ton of fun. In many ways, the job was an incredibly easy one. She just followed around after her, fetched her things if she asked her for them (or told her to get them, as the case may be), and laughed at all her jokes. That last part was especially simple. Victoria was smart, and she had a razor-sharp wit, and she knew how to cut just deep enough. The only time she really let that mask drop at all was when they were walking back to the dorms alone and she seemingly ran out of steam. "I hate walking in silence. What are we talking about?"

"I'm thinking about taking photography at some point. Maybe you could tell me something about the art form?" Granted the obvious reason that Victoria could talk about photography in her sleep. But Taylor's true intentions was that she simply enjoyed the few moments where she'd been able to see Victoria at her realest.

Unfortunately, because they were in public, she didn't allow herself to properly nerd out. Instead, she acted more like a human encyclopedia, explaining dates and names and processes and all the boring stuff nobody except her cared about. By the time they reached Victoria's dorm, she was ready to hear her talk about anything else. "Which brings us to Louis Daguerre, who..." Victoria suddenly stopped talking as the door closed behind them, as if someone had suddenly hit the pause button. Without warning, she pushed Taylor up against it, pinning her wrists above her head. "You've been stroking my ego all day and it's been driving me crazy..." She leaned in, sniffing her animalistically, possessively.

"Mmmm, I'd be happy to stroke a few other things if you'd like..."

Victoria pulled back and looked at her with a sly smirk, though she was still pinning her hands firmly in place. "Not... just yet... We need to take care of some boring stuff first."

Whining pathetically, Taylor pulled against the hands restraining her to no avail. "Do you have to do this stuff to me right before dousing me in cold water?" A gentle nip at her earlobe elicited a tiny surprised squeak.

"If you would let me finish... I was going to say that we might still be able to make it interesting. What do you say?"

A shiver traveled up Taylor's spine and back down again as they looked into each other's eyes. "I mean, I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Victoria gently released her hands. With a very dramatic pout, she traced the back of her palm along Taylor's hot cheek. "What kind of monster do you take me for? You always have choices. You could decide all this minion and slave business is just too much work and we could try something simpler. You could realize I'm a maniac and run away from me and go hang out with normal people instead. Maybe you decide that what I have to say isn't particularly interesting and you just tackle me to the floor immediately." She laughed softly, tracing her fingertips against her cheek again. "See? Plenty of options. But I can promise you this much – it'll be worth it."

She slowly released a breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. It came out so ragged and filled with nerves, there was no way Victoria wouldn't notice. "I-I wanna be here with you. I wanna know what you have to say. Just don't, like, drag it out too long okay? I've been losing my mind since Saturday night."

"Oh, so you haven't...? Hm. That's _very_ interesting."

* * *

The two of them set their things down and retired to Victoria's bed with the girl's laptop. Thankfully, she was at least willing to snuggle with her. It may not have been the ultimate solution she was craving, but Taylor hoped such a thing might come with time. "First things first, I feel the need to be honest with you..."

Taylor laughed gently and nuzzled into her. "I'm sensing a pattern here."

"Oh shut up" It was strange, as though the claws came out for just a moment before Victoria remembered she didn't need them here and quickly retracted them. Her initial reaction started on a sharp note and died down to an embarrassed whisper in the span of two syllables. "Sorry... The truth is that it's getting easy to be... honest around you. That's probably dangerous. A-Anyway, I got pretty cocky when I was accepted to Blackwell, and I burned like... all my bridges back home. Which means every time I go back for holidays and breaks, it gets... lonely. When I'm not working in my parents' gallery, I'm usually just watching my guilty pleasure anime or, more recently, reading... honestly just way too much erotica."

"Wait wait," Taylor said between more soft laughter. "Are you telling me the inception of this entire thing was when you sped your way through the entire Fifty Shades trilogy in a weekend?"

Victoria began laughing softly as well, even as she could see the frustration building at the same time. "Uh-uh, no way, red flag on the field, foul. That shit is atrocious, it completely misrepresents the way real people do it, and it glorifies abuse and stalking. You will never mention that book again." And there it was. The real Victoria. The one that came out in fits and starts. The one who got passionate about silly things without a hint of irony or shame. It was part of the reason Taylor felt like she could actually trust this girl to not turn into a monster. Because there was this strange secret dork under it all.

"Understood," she replied, giving her a quick, playful kiss on the tip of her nose. The girl's face scrunched up in response, doing nothing to destroy the adorable image of Victoria forming in Taylor's head. "So, what's this not-boring boring stuff you wanted to talk about?"

"Well..." Victoria began as she opened up her laptop and began fiddling with it. "So... It's important to talk about stuff that we both... want..." She opened up a folder filled with images that must have taken a little while to put together. No wonder it looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before either. The first image she pulled up was a tasteful shot of a girl's neck sporting a simple black leather collar. Taylor unconsciously reached up and traced a finger along her own neck for a moment in quiet contemplation. "For example, it's relatively common to use a collar as both a symbol of ownership, and also a practical tool when paired with, say, a leash."

Taylor once again had to force herself to let out a trembling breath after holding it in for far too long. "Yeah, um... hah, yeah, that seems great..."

Victoria gave her a knowing smile and moved to the next image of two hands locked in cuffs behind a person's back. Presumably they were of a same make as the collar on display – solid but made for comfort too. Another tremor, another shaky breath. "Restraints, to ensure you can never get too far away from whatever... nefarious purposes I might devise for you?"

"God yes..."

This went on for a while. It was probably only half an hour, but in Taylor's mind the dread inquisition lasted for hours until she was a simpering mess. Of course, sometimes things would come up and she would immediately get a gut "no" reaction. Other times she would be more lukewarm towards something, and Victoria would promise to only try something out if she was more in the mood.

It was all starting to blur together, and perhaps Victoria sensed as much, because she finally put the laptop away before gracefully climbing on top of her. "You've been doing amazing, even just hanging out with me today. I only have one more question. You didn't answer me before, have you seriously not touched yourself at all?" The question was way, way too embarrassing to provide a vocal answer to, so Taylor just shook her head, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. Luckily, that answer seemed to be the right one. "Why not?"

"I-I don't know? I, like, really don't have a good answer for that. It felt good? It felt... respectful? Like we had put a pause on things and I ought to wait..."

Victoria was practically purring as she used one hand to start flawlessly unbuttoning her shorts. "Taylor, my dear, you and I are going to have so much fun together..."


End file.
